After the RMS Titanic sank on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in 1912, governments on both sides of the ocean looked to see if more could be done to protect the roughly 2,200 people on board, including the more than 1,500 who died. that tragic day.

The result was the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Its skeleton, approved in 1914, stands to this day, with many of its structures developing directly from the Titanic tragedy.

With the explosion of the submarine Titan, as it plunged into the Titanic wreck this week, killing all five people on board, experts say there could be fresh impetus for new rules governing high-end, expensive tourism. the kind that is being practiced by OceanGate Expeditions, the company that handles Titan.

Unsinkable Ship: When the Titanic sailed from Southampton, it was the largest ocean liner in the world, built with cutting-edge maritime technology that many claim made her unsinkable.

Such was Titanic’s belief that the safety regulations of the time had not been updated to keep up with technology.

Lessons from Titan: Maritime experts and historians have pointed out that the Titan submarines operated outside the rules set by the Titanic disaster and did not need to comply with safety regulations as they were operating in international waters.

While innovators and explorers can push the boundaries – or even break the rules – to achieve scientific breakthroughs, experts say there has to be a higher threshold of safety for paying passengers, such as the three of those who died on Titan, and that may be necessary. to reconsider the international rules governing these expeditions, just as they were reexamined after the sinking of the Titanic.

“It’s quite possible that Titan is a catalyst for more regulation in the submarine space,” said Per Wimmer, a Danish adventurer and philanthropist.